Alone on an Island

In late November 2004 through mid-January 2005, I spent winter make-up/freeze-up alone on a small island. Make-up or freeze-up as it is often known is that that period of time when a river or lake become uncrossable until it forms enough ice to become safe to cross by foot.

For this island, that historically can take anywhere from 2 weeks in a very quick year, to 2 months in a slow one. This was a slow one.

On the night of December 7th, the temperature fell quickly, and the ice started to form. The next morning, I woke up on an island, unsure of when I’d be able to leave.

All I had to do was keep the fires burning, feed the dogs, chickens and rabbits and wait for the river to freeze.

It was a life changing experience.